On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on June 9 MLB Games

June 9th, 2015 - 7:07

Extra! Extra! Read all about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players! Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopsters had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 9 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 9

  • Chicago Cubs rookie CF George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Basketball Tournament with Tennessee State) went 4-for-4 in an 8-4 win against the Cincinnati Reds in 1959.

  • Detroit Tigers LF Hoot Evers (Illinois starter in 1939-40) went 5-for-5 against the New York Yankees in 1949.

  • Baltimore Orioles LHP Mike Flanagan (averaged 13.9 ppg for UMass' 15-1 freshman basketball squad in 1971-72) shut out the Detroit Tigers in 1984, beating them for the second time in a week.

  • New York Giants 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham captain) supplied four hits against the Chicago Cubs in 1922. Nine years later with the St. Louis Cardinals, Frisch furnished four safeties against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931.

  • St. Louis Cardinals SS Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s for Lebanon Valley PA) had four hits against the Chicago Cubs in 1935.

  • In 2008, Florida Marlins LHP Mark Hendrickson (two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference selection paced Washington State in rebounding four straight seasons from 1992-93 through 1995-96) yielded the 600th home run of the career of Ken Griffey Jr.

  • The lone MLB safety for 1B Gary Holle (led Siena in scoring and rebounding in 1974-75)) was a pinch-hit double with the Texas Rangers against the Baltimore Orioles in 1979.

  • Atlanta Braves RF David Justice (led Thomas More KY in assists in 1984-85) smacked two homers against the Montreal Expos in 1991. Nine years later with the Cleveland Indians, Justice jacked two round-trippers against the Cincinnati Reds in 2000.

  • LF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV squad with Bloomsburg PA three years in mid-1930s) purchased from the St. Louis Cardinals by the Boston Braves in 1946.

  • Sam Mele (NYU's leading scorer in 1943 NCAA playoffs) replaced as manager of the Minnesota Twins by Cal Ermer in 1967.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers LF Wally Moon (averaged 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50) homered in his fourth outing of a five-game span in 1960.

  • Montreal Expos RHP Steve Renko (averaged 9.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg as Kansas sophomore in 1963-64) hurled the first of his two one-hitters in a month in 1971 (against San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies).

  • In 1955, Philadelphia Phillies RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) fired a three-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals en route to leading the N.L. in wins for the fourth consecutive campaign.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Art Smith (Columbia two-year letterman graduated in 1931) lost his lone MLB decision when dropping debut as a starter against the Washington Senators in 1932.